Document U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,468 describes a dishwasher tray which is used for washing table utensils, such as e.g. cutlery, glasses, cups, etc., and which is also used as a support for storing said utensils typically after washing.
This dishwasher tray comprises a base module provided with a bottom having a grid on which said utensils are placed, and a drag element engageable by a dragging member of a dishwasher, and perimeter walls having grids.
The dishwasher tray further comprises at least one extender module including perimeter walls having grids and pairs of resilient harpoon-shaped prongs extending downwards from lower edges of the perimeter walls to snap fit in corresponding sockets formed in upper edges of the perimeter walls of the base module.
The grids of the bottom and perimeter walls of the base module and the grids of the perimeter walls of the extender module have the advantage of making the washing of the utensils located on the dishwasher tray easier.
However, the grids of the perimeter walls of the base module and the extender module also have the drawback of permitting dust and debris to enter inside the tray, when the tray is used for storage of the table utensils after washing.
On the other hand, the harpoon-shaped prongs have upwardly sloped barbs that engage with downwardly loped surfaces of the sockets, and they only can be displaced from their engagement within the sockets by squeezing them together and allowing them to be withdrawn by means of a tool introduced into a narrow space provided between two wall members of a double walled structure of the perimeter walls, which is a difficult and annoying operation.
Therefore, it is apparent there is a need for a dishwasher tray having a base module and optionally one or more extender modules that combines the advantages of having grids at their perimeter walls with the possibility of completely closing said grids in a simple and quick way, when the dishwasher tray is used for storing table utensils.
It is also apparent the need of a dishwasher tray having a base module and at least one extender module with grids at their perimeter walls and at least one side lid including an identifier intended to be releasably attached to one of the perimeter walls covering one of the grids.
It is also apparent the need of a dishwasher tray having a base module and at least one extender module where the extender module is able to be attached to and detached from the base module in an easy manner without the need of using specific tool.